The 2,000 page Dodd-Frank Act is the US government’s response to the financial crisis. While it was signed into law well over a year ago, the finer points are still being negotiated, clarified by lawyers, and challenged by Wall Street players.

For energy and commodity firms operating in Europe, this is a cautionary tale – the European Union (EU) is introducing an alphabet soup of directives and legislation affecting the financial and commodity markets including the Regulation of Energy Market Integrity and Transparency (REMIT), the Market Abuse Directive (MAD), the second Market in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II), the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR), and the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD).

The EU’s objective is to have all legislation in force by the end of 2013. The exact provisions aren’t fully baked, but it’s clear that all companies trading over-the-counter derivatives will be impacted across the whole value chain from front office sales through to back office reporting and all points in between.

Not sure how to prepare your company for the impending regulatory avalanche? Mike Zadoroznyj, Triple Point’s Vice President, Treasury and Regulatory Compliance, has written an article for FX-MM magazine about what you need to do in order to ensure that your systems are compliant. Read it now